Rhapsody in Vermont
By Katherine Romano, Associate Editor

Ripton Elementary's welcoming entrance (right) and (left), Principal Jane Phinney in the great outdoors.

It's a picture-perfect September morning in Vermont. Even though fall is just a week away, the hills of the surrounding Green Mountain National Forest are brilliantly blanketed in green and colorful patches of wildflowers are still in bloom along the winding roadsides. It was with an almost manic glee that we made the scenic trek through hill and vale to today's breathtaking destination: Ripton Elementary School in Ripton, VT. As we marveled at how clean the air felt and the mind-blowing lack of cars on the Vermont roads, we could hardly wait to see what was in store for us at the end of our journey.

Even though the school has been at its current location for 14 years, it looks like it could've been erected mere weeks ago. First, Ripton Elementary is situated in a clearing surrounded by a forest of pine trees that looks as though its been plucked from the pages of a storybook. The school's doors and trim gleam with fresh red paint, the sidewalks are swept clean and the school grounds are artfully manicured. As we stood outside and admired the view with Ripton's principal, Jane Phinney, the school's bell broke through the quiet.

"Get ready," she warned us, "here they come!"

A brilliantly colored handmade student quilt adorns the lobby ceiling (left). On a slow day, Dierdra Fleury (right) serves as Ripton's Administrative Assistant, a fill-in nurse and ropes course instructor.

Stampede! We stood back and watched as Ripton's 54 students pounded around the corner and spilled out onto the school's expansive playground and playing fields. As the kids rocketed past us, we noticed something interesting begin to happen. Over on the soccer field, a game was quickly organized by some intermediate students and one particularly enthusiastic kindergartner who was quite literally throwing himself into his role as goalie. On the playground, a swinging third grader stopped mid-pump to help a smaller child struggling to get herself onto a swing. As two little girls staked their claim on the teeter-totter, we watched as one helped her friend get on board and then realized she needed a hand herself. Before she had a chance to ask, she got a boost from an older boy running past her to join the industrious fort-building going on in the woods (the kids are allowed to play "five trees deep") behind the school.

Like brother, like sister. Jane Phinney told us that this almost sibling-like camaraderie between the younger and older students is thanks in large part to Ripton's multi-age set up. The school's classrooms are grouped as preK and kindergarten, first and second grade, third and fourth and then fifth and sixth grade. In addition to intensive all-school thematic units, the multi-age learning environment extends even as far as the lunch room. Every lunch table has a multi-age seating chart and every child is assigned a task for his or her table – from table washer, to recycler, to bringing leftover food items to the school's compost pile – everyone is responsible for something. "We see the younger kids learning from the older kids and vice versa, every day," Jane commented.

Left, Music teacher Ann Rowell came out of retirement for the opportunity to teach at Ripton. Third graders take a break for movement therapy (right).

The big rule. Ripton's big rule, Jane told us, is that no one is excluded. This is also the key governing factor to the All-School Meetings, which are run entirely by the students. Ripton's staff is intent on teaching the principles of democracy by involving the kids in as many school decisions and processes as possible. "Sometimes we have to step in and keep them on track, but they do a very good job of resolving their issues peacefully," Jane said.

Oh, and there's one more big rule. Despite Ripton's seemingly remote location, Jane Phinney and her staff of 19 make sure Ripton's students are thoroughly educated in the arts and other cultures by the time they graduate. From Meals Program Director Kathy Angier's lessons in authentic sushi preparation during an all-school unit on Japan, to a visit from the Burlington Taiko (Japanese for "big drum") Ensemble, cultural exploration is served up to the kids from all directions. The way Jane Phinney and her staff see it, if the arts aren't easily accessible in Ripton, VT, a town of less than 600, it's their duty to ensure these kids are enlightened one way or another. And, amazingly, without the backdrop of an artistic urban landscape, these teachers have converted Ripton Elementary into an exciting community where all sorts of cultures intertwine.

Primary grade fort builders tidy up the beginnings of their fort (left), one of the "circus" benches in the school's outdoor classroom (center) and the student and teacher authored "Ripton Rap" (right).

Artists-in-residence. For the first half of the school year, all of Ripton's students study some aspect of both Vermont's and New England's colorful history. In January, the tide changes to a cultural study on a country or continent of the teachers' choosing that is specifically designed to expose the kids to new learning opportunities as well as adhere to the district curricula and Vermont State Standards (as an aside, Ripton's scores on standards-based and standardized tests are some of the highest in the state). This year, the focus is on Africa, and, in addition to a myriad of wonderful in-class explorations, Jane and the teachers are arranging for African drummers and mask makers to come to Ripton and work with the kids. The study will culminate on stage with an all-school performance of selections from the musical, "The Lion King."

As a way to ensure that students are fully immersed in the minutiae of a culture far from Vermont's idyllic green hills, Ripton's teachers begin applying for grants as soon as they decide on the thematic unit's focus. Many times, they've been able to round out these units with the help of extraordinarily talented artists-in-residence brought to them with the help of the Vermont Arts Council. Other times, they find that all the help they need is right in their own backyard.

And, they're off! One thing is for sure, even though its ranks are small in number, Ripton Elementary has never experienced a shortfall of help. From the five paraprofessionals in the classrooms, to the community volunteers who upkeep the school's garden, to its active parents' group, this is a town where the school holds a special place in the hearts of its residents.

Recess! Ripton-style (left), "How to Check Out a Book," was authored by a Ripton student and put on display in the library (bottom left), Ann Rowell directs the adult/kids choir, Ripton Rhapsody, during snack recess (bottom right).

Every October, the parents group conducts a major fundraising event in the form of the Ripton Ridge Run. Now in its 16th year, this 5K/10K road race has attracted runners from all over this country and abroad. Even though this is an enormous undertaking by the parents, the Ripton Ridge Run is so successful that it raises enough money every year to fund all of the school's field trips (in addition to local jaunts here and there, Ripton's students also often go as a school to a nearby ski area and to an end-of-the-year extravaganza to a nearby city like Boston or Portland, ME). Not only does the race raise enough money to provide funding for every child's trips for the year, but it also pays for all of the year's supplies for the students…and the teachers.

Team building. In between flurries of grant writing and organizing expeditions through other lands, Ripton's teachers somehow find the time to investigate alternative ways of teaching. Whatever avenue they explore, they do so as a team. They've attended workshops on everything from math and language arts training to movement therapy. The teachers also travel together to an annual conference of the Foundation for Excellent Schools, of which Ripton is a member.

Sometimes the teachers have paired off to scout new ways to help Ripton's students grow. While we were visiting, Dierdra Fleury, the school's Administrative Assistant, and sixth-grade teacher, Steven Lindemann, were on their way to attend climbing-wall training. The school uses a ropes course for team building and is going to use a climbing wall for individual challenges for the intermediate students.

Students created the tiles (left) with the help of a local artist for a project on biodiversity, Susan Mock with her kindergartners (middle) teaches a lesson on caring and sunflowers thrive in Ripton's schoolyard garden (upper right).

Smooth moves. Shortly after learning about Ripton's work in movement therapy, we caught third graders in the act during their morning's 15-minute "movement break." After a math drill, the kids paired up and their teacher, Susan Ogilvie, distributed different colored scarves. One child had to toss the scarf in the air while the pair coordinated their movements and the other child caught the scarf and then instituted a move of his or her own. Ripton got involved with movement therapy after the teachers applied for a grant to have a consultant show them how to incorporate movement into their classrooms. "Right now, we're experimenting with how we can use movement to help those students who are having trouble with staying focused," Jane told us.

From its not-so-distant days as a one-room schoolhouse to its current incarnation as a child's cultural mecca, Ripton Elementary has got one of learning's key fundamentals down pat – don't ever judge a book by its cover.

November/December, 2003, Vol.34, No.3